The day before the Coupe de France quarter-final that will be played in front of an effervescent Allianz Riviera, President Rivère has called on the home fans to show themselves to be "irreproachable" and "able to push the team towards qualification."

"This match against OM will be watched by a lot of people and broadcast on national TV. I have just one wish: to see a good match and show that the Nice fans are good, irreproachable, and are able to push the team towards qualification. In that case, and only in that case, will it be a good evening," said Jean-Pierre Rivère in the Nice-Matin newspaper. "The incidents that happened mean the result is not my only concern. There's the desire for everything to go well. We have taken all the necessary and possible measures for that to be the case. Unfortunately, you can never make contingencies for everything."

After the incidents in the teams' first league meeting this season, OGC Nice were docked one point with a further one-point deduction suspended. "The punishments can really hurt us. Everyone has to be aware of that. We also saw that in the Coupe de France with Paris FC and Lyon being disqualified," Mr. Rivère added.

The President also wished "to talk about football, that the players be encouraged regardless of what happens in the game. And above all, that everything goes well and that this derby is played in a good spirit. There will be families, children who are coming to see a spectacle and nothing else."